Governor Benedict Ayade of Cross River State, in his recent New Year message or broadcast to the people of the state, in a lucid, succinct and articulate manner marshaled out a 14-point projects and programmes that are to be the cardinal focus of his administration this year.
Thanking the people for the huge support his administration received so far and encouraging Cross Riverians to have absolute confidence and believe on their god given potentials to collectively turn the state into an Eldorado of prosperity, he used the occasion of the New Year message to lay bare his development agenda and focus for 2016.
Under the 14-point agenda for 2016, the Senator Ben Ayade led leadership in Cross River is set to give the necessary push that will ensure the concession of the Calabar-Itu Federal Highway, just as governor Ayade is equally ready to provide the requisite economic and political backing to prospect for oil and gas deposits in Cross River territory.
Ayade who charged the people of the state to view 2016 as “another unique opportunity to open up a new chapter filled with captivating elixir of hope” as that “in the days ahead, we will catalyze the tempo of multi-sector turnaround of our dear state”, in spite of dwindling allocation from the federal coffers, also hinted that the monorail and the garment factory would be completed and commissioned this year.
The other critical areas which governor Ayade said full attention would be focus on include the completion of the detailed design and preconstruction work of Calas Vegas and two new cities, one in each senatorial district of the state, completion of the de-bushing of the superhighway corridor and the completion of the detailed design and securing of approval from the Federal Executive Council for the construction of the Deep seaport.
Other projects to be executed in 2016 are, the creation of new urban forests for climate change, establishing of a State Microfinance Bank to provide soft loans for the youths, ensuring a substantial stabilization of power and water supply in Calabar, and commencement of dredging of the seaport.
Reconstruction of the Health and Education system of the state, activation of the Green Police and the construction of 5000 housing units for the no-income and the low income earners in Cross River would also be the very important areas that the Ayade led administration in the state will give un-deviated attention this year.
The creation of new urban forests for climate change, commissioning of the garment factory and the Calabar monorail, will definitely be of immense benefit to the government and people of the state, aesthetically and tourism-wise, besides their financial value chain in terms of revenue generation and importantly employment creation for the citizens of the state.
Urban forests will help in beautifying Calabar city and other major towns like Ogoja, Obudu, Ikom and Ugep in a very romantic way. The monorail, first of its kind in this part will undoubtedly pull tourists crowd, just as the garment factory of the standard, capacity in terms of size and sophistication in the area of equipment that is being built, the first of its kind in Nigeria will be an attraction of no mean repute besides the quality of materials that would be churned out from the factory.
The activation of the Green Police will help to immobilize, render impotent and of no consequences activities of the enemies of Cross River State vast forests resources, thereby ensuring that the state gets a great chunk of the funds set aside by the World Bank and the United Nations for Africa and the third world countries to battle climate change. Reiterating the employment creation aspect of the Green Police would be stating the obvious.
There is no doubt that we have many young, vibrant and articulate cross Riverians with the immense capacity and training to become cut-edge entrepreneurs, but are incapacitated by paucity of fund and lack of access to facilities and guarantors. The establishment of Cross River state Microfinance Bank to provide soft loans Cross Riverians would certainly be the panacea to turn things around in this regards.
The saying that healthy citizens constitute a healthy country, just as every country’s overall development would only be commensurate to the extent of its educational foundation is true. From Governor Ayade’s New Year message to the state, it lucid that he fully appreciates the import of the above stated statement and is committed to the task of reconstruction of the Health and Education system of the state. The benefits of doing so are enormous, just as the consequences of negligent to the present and future generations are better imagined than real. Ayade understands this very well and he want to be in the right side of history.
A governor whose soul and very being exists only for the people with his people-oriented programmes and has so far shown that by words and action cannot afford to delay the commencement of the construction of the 5000 units of houses for those without income and the low income of the state, hence the priority placed on the project for 2016 by the governor. That project alone will provide massive employment to our people.
The completion of the detailed design and securing approval for the deep seaport the Federal Executive Council, commencement of the dredging of the seaport, completion of the de-bushing of the superhighway corridor and the completion of the detailed design and preconstruction work of Calas Vegas and two new cities, one in each senatorial district, will present a clearer imagines/pictures of the said projects and the entire development direction of Ayade to Cross Riverians including those who are Ayade’s leadership unrestraint and self-commissioned and appointed critics that he means well for the state.
Have you sat back to think and fathom the immeasurable benefits that will come to Cross River people when a concession for the Calabar-Itu Federal Highway is obtain by Governor Ayade, the leap in economic activities in Calabar and the opportunities that will be present to our people when power and water supply in the state capital in particular is substantially stabilize? If before now you have not thought about these benefits may accrue to you directly or indirectly, please do!
Wait a bit, Has your mind ever contemplated the possibility that one day Cross river may prospect for and discover oil and gas in commercial quantity within its territory to warrant the owning of a petrol-chemical refinery by the state? If as a Cross Riverian you have not contemplated that, begin to do so because the possibilities are as real as day and night and sun and moon. How about the numerous employment opportunities that will come with such discovery?
It is therefore based on reality that the Ayade administration has included the task of finding or prospecting for oil and gas deposit in our territory as one of the top priority of the government in this year, 2016.
Setting these lofty goals and targets for 2016 in his new year message, Governor Ayade was/is not “unaware of the huge responsibility, skepticism and downright criticism” he received when he decided to embarked on the signature projects, while at the same time thanking Cross Riverians for their natural disposition and panache to be a brave and civilized people.
Knowing that he is passionately committed to pursue with extreme vigour the 14-point agenda he sets to accomplish this year, and in addition consult the people to build any other projects of critical priority and importance, Senator Ayade wishes the people great blessings and asserted that “as we raise a toast to the new year with a sparkling in our eyes and the ‘jigida’ dance of hope and triumph, may the dreams we wish all come through and the days abound with richness and contentment”.
This is the time for all Cross Riverians to come out of their personal/individual cubicles and Plato, allegory of the cave in his work, the ‘The Republic’ and Francis Bacon idol of the cave
Emmanuel Ulayi/Solomon Asha are media aides to Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River state
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